The Black Eagles marched back to the monastery in relative silence. The day's battle against Lonato and his men had been an overwhelming victory, but if one were to spare a single look at any of their sullen faces, they might think otherwise.

Edelgard's classmates looked at nothing but the ground as they marched, their expressions pained and their eyes cloudy with thought. Of the bunch, only Caspar, Hubert, and her professor looked totally unaffected. And of that bunch, it was only Caspar that had anything to say on the matter.

"Wew, Professor! You were all over the place today!"

Byleth simply grunted, his left hand idly rubbing a spot on his right shoulder.

Edelgard had been watching the professor closely since the beginning of the battle with Lonato. His actions had been… strange today, to say the least.

During their first assignment to deal with Kostas, Byleth did nothing but play a supporting role. He would bark orders in his usual tone, help out a student when needed, but other than that, he let the Eagles do most of the heavy lifting- she assumed to give them more actual experience.

But, today? He was anything but. For someone that preached the pros of the "buddy system" as he called it, Byleth had been a one-man battling ram. Edelgard always suspected that Byleth had been holding something back, and today he proved that. She witnessed the man take on droves of men on his own, sometimes against four, or even five to one odds. Whenever she turned her head, there he'd be, fighting some other unprepared soul. Man after man fell to his sword. Contrary to his past actions, it was almost as if he didn't want the Eagles to gain any valuable experience from this.

Edelgard was conflicted. On the one hand, Byleth proved once again that he was a valuable ally and an irreplaceable asset. On the other, she had no explanation for his change in methods today, and she hated not having an explanation to something.

"I'd see you all the way across the field fighting some mages with Dorothea and Ferdinand, then all of a sudden, you'd be taking down some archer that had his sights on me," Caspar continued, completely oblivious to the mood of the group. "You gotta teach me how you can run so fast."

"Years of experience, Caspar," Byleth grumbled, his hand still massaging his shoulder.

Dare I say… he almost looks… gloomy.

It was pure speculation, but Edelgard liked to think she was starting to get a grasp on her professor's moods. Though his face might not show it, whenever he was in a good mood, he was rather talkative. Not as mouthy as someone like, say, Ferdinand, but more talkative than his norm of one to three word replies.

When he was upset or annoyed, sometimes he wouldn't even reply at all, or perhaps make joking threats that you really couldn't tell the seriousness of.

This was different. Byleth's posture was off, and his shoulders slightly sagging. Emotions might never betray him, but the same couldn't be said about body language.

"I hope I can get there one day," Caspar sighed dreamily. "You sure taught those rebels not to rise up again anytime soon."

"Caspar, those weren't just 'some rebels.'" Dorothea shot a glare at his classmate. "They were… people! People fighting for something they believed in. I don't see how you can be so pumped about this."

"Why not?" Caspar shrugged, his fingers laced behind his head. "If we hadn't stopped them there, who knows how much worse it could have gotten for the neighboring villages."

"That's… true," Dorothea relented, then shook her head. "But still, this is hardly a time for celebrating! Lives were lost today!"

"Enough bickering," Edelgard cut in before the mood could get worse. "We did what had to be done. There's no use in arguing about it now."

She glanced over at Byleth, only to find that he was already watching her with tired eyes.

"We'll stop here for tonight," the professor declared, turning to one of the stray knights that was walking beside them. "Please inform Catherine."

The Knight of Seiros nodded, giving Byleth a salute before jogging off to the front of the line.

"Set up camp," Byleth told them. "I'll prepare us something to eat. I just have to take care of something first."

With that, their teacher walked off…

Towards the forest?

"Our professor has something to take care of in the forest?" Ferdinand asked, rubbing the back of his head. "Strange indeed."

"Please tell me you are not this dense, Ferdinand," Hubert sighed.

"'Dense?' I'll have you know, I take offense to that-" Ferdinand stopped in his tracks, realization dawning on him. "O-oh. Ahem. Yes, well, never mind."

The prime minister's son coughed a few more times into his hand for good measure before leaving to set up his tent.

"H-he said he was going to cook something for us right?" Bernadetta mumbled, her frightened eyes darting to and fro. "I hope he washes his h-hands…"

Edelgard ignored her classmate and took off after the professor. His behavior had been nagging at her all day, and she despised nagging feelings.

"Your highness?" Hubert called out to her.

"I have something to attend to as well," Edelgard replied, not bothering to turn back. "I shall only be a moment."

Hubert relented, giving his lordship a bow as she followed behind Byleth.


She must have walked ten minutes out from the campsite before she finally caught sight of her enigmatic professor in the dying sunlight.

What could he be doing all the way out here?

He sat alone amid a grove of oak trees, resting atop of a fallen log. She could hear his labored breathing as he approached, followed by a few pained gasps. From this angle, she couldn't gleam any insight as to what he might be doing, but whatever it was, it was far from pleasant.

And then, he stopped.

"Who's there?" He asked the air, his hand reaching to the sword on his hip.

"You have quite the ear, Professor," Edelgard remarked as she walked up to him. "I suppose that could also be attributed to your years of-"

The words died on her lips, drifting off into the air when she finally caught sight of what he was up to.

"Oh, Edelgard. You startled me."

His hand was grasping at the broken shaft of an arrow protruding from his right shoulder, hidden away by the jacket that always draped over his back. Blood poured freely from the wound, covering his gloved hand in a red sheen.

Byleth noticed the surprised look on her face, then glanced down at his wound.

"This? Nothing to worry about."

Edelgard blinked a few dozen times, words failing to reach her.

"'Nothing to worry about?' Tell me, is there a brain in that head of yours?"

Well. Almost failing to reach her.

"How long have you been walking around like this?!" she shouted.

"Keep it down, I don't want the others to hear you."

"'Keep it down?'" Edelgard growled dangerously. "You're worried about my classmates hearing you while you have an arrow stuck in your body?!"

"Well, yes," he shrugged. "And to answer your first question, I believe it's been in there since the battle."

Edelgard rubbed the back of her eyelids, silently reminding herself that this man is in fact her professor, so throttling him would likely reflect poorly on her grades.

"And why might you have been walking around like this for that long?" she hissed, trying her hardest not to raise her voice.

"I didn't want the others to know," Byleth answered, nodding towards the campsite.

"For someone elected to be my professor, I didn't think you could be so foolish!"

"Simmer down," Byleth sighed. "Now, are you going to continue yelling at me or do you mind lending me a hand now that you're here?"

Edelgard shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. She was wondering why he was acting so strangely, and it looked like she got her answer.

The emperor knelt beside him, taking the white gloves off her hands.

"I can try, but I can't assure you I'll be of any assistance," she said, lightly moving his hand to get a better look at the wound.

It was grotesque, alright. The arrow did a fine job of tearing up his flesh on its way through his body.

"I've taught you enough that you can cast the simplest of healing magics. Have a little faith. Just think of this as some hands-on experience."

Edelgard rolled her eyes, then turned her attention back to the matter at hand.

"I've already broken off the end of the arrow," Byleth continued. "All you need to do is pull out the shaft and close it up."

"Easier said than done," she muttered, then looked up at him. "Promise me you won't do something like this again."

Byleth wiggled his shoulder at her, causing more blood to trickle down.

"Promise. Now, less talking, more yanking."

Edelgard clenched her jaw, slowly taking a hold of the broken wood.

"Fine. On the count of three, I'll pull."

Byleth nodded, shifting his weight on the log.

"One, two-!"

With one quick movement she pulled the arrow from his body-

-Only to see no reaction at all from her professor. Not a jump. Not a shout. Not even a solitary yelp.

The only indication that he felt any pain was the grimace on his face and a sharp intake of breath.

"That was sneaky," he said, his breath ragged. "Now, would you mind? This is starting to hurt."

Edelgard shook her head, too baffled for words.

Placing a hand over the wound, she closed her eyes. Magic wasn't her forte so to speak, but Byleth was right. Even she should be able to cast something as simple as a Heal spell should she put her mind to it.

After a few seconds, a glow of white emanated from the palm of her hand, basking the bloody wound in its light.

Sure enough, the wound mended. All that was left in its wake was a nasty scar and a bunch of red stains.

"There. That wasn't so bad was it?" Byleth said, rotating his injured shoulder. "I knew you could-"

The professor stopped mid-sentence, his eyes catching on something down below.

Edelgard followed his line of sight until it reached her bare hands and the scars that covered them.

She hurriedly hid them away, tucking them back within the confines of her gloves.

"Now that that's taken care of," the heir deflected, adjusting the white cloth on her hands. "Would you mind explaining in great detail your thought process behind this decision?"

Byleth tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow.

"Like I said, I didn't want the others to know. Were you not listening before?"

"Oh, I was listening. I just cannot begin to fathom as to why you decided that."

"They need to continue to think that I am infallible."

Byleth answered her question as if it were the most simple one in the world.

"And what good would that do?" Edelgard frowned. "No man is infallible. People make mistakes; they have flaws. To err is what it means to be human."

"It's better this way," Byleth said. "As long as they continue to think that their professor can't be beaten, they'll sleep easier at night."

Edelgard remained silent, turning her gaze to the grassy earth beneath her.

"I truly do not get you," Edelgard sighed. "Just when I was starting to believe I might understand what makes you tick, you go and do something like this."

As if to only prove her point, Byleth laughed.

Laughed!

The sound coming from him sounded so foreign Edelgard nearly didn't believe it. If she hadn't been sitting right beside him, she would have thought it to be the hoot of an owl or some other strange creature howling in the forest.

"My teacher, was that a laugh I just heard from you?"

Byleth pinched his chin, any hint of amusement on his face already gone.

"Why yes, I believe so. Hmm... I'm not quite sure how that happened."

"For three moons I've known you, and I have yet to see you so much as smile," she gaped at him. "Let alone laugh."

"How strange." Byleth pondered to himself. "It seems that it's only when I'm alone with you I'm capable of such extraordinary feats."

"…Huh?"

Byleth turned to her, his blue eyes sparkling in the fading sun.

"Do you mind if we spend more time together like this? I find myself very curious as to what other emotions I might exhibit in your presence."

Edelgard blinked, once again finding herself too dumbfounded for words. She was, however, vastly aware of the burning sensation in her ears and cheeks.

Byleth raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting. Perhaps after a few more conversations with you, I too might be able to blush like that."

"Q-quiet!"

Before she realized it, she had already jumped to her feet.

"Come, we should head back to the others before they get worried and come looking for us."

"Fair enough." Byleth came to his feet, dusting off his pants. "You never answered my question, though."

"Fine! Do as you wish!"

Edelgard trudged off, leaving her professor to follow behind her.

She took a deep breath as she walked, rubbing a hand across her face. Despite the layer of cloth between her hands and her cheeks, she could still feel the slight heat tickle her fingertips.

I was wrong. I truly do not understand that man!


The next morning, the Black Eagle class resumed their march back to Garreg Mach. With the dawn of a new day, things had relatively gone back to normal. Edelgard's classmates didn't look as crestfallen as the night before, and their teacher seemed to be carrying himself better on this day. His back was straight, his head no longer drooping. If she didn't know any better, one couldn't tell that anything had been wrong with him to begin with.

"Edelgard, do you have a moment?"

She had been examining him so closely as they walked, that she almost didn't recognize Byleth calling her name.

"Yes, Professor?"

"About yesterday…" Byleth paused to look at the others behind him. "I probably don't even need to ask you this, but would you mind keeping our conversation to yourself? I'm sure you can hazard a guess as to why."

"That depends. Do you plan on teasing me some more?"

"Teasing? I hardly know what you mean."

The man sounded so innocent when he said that, Edelgard nearly bought it.

Thank goodness Byleth chose her house. Him and Claude would have made a fearsome, if not incredibly infuriating pair.

"I promise," Byleth said, placing a hand to his chest. "Despite the immense amount of enjoyment I get out of catching you off guard."

Edelgard rolled her eyes, but she was prepared for it this time. She wouldn't allow him to get the better of her any time soon.

"Then you have my word," she nodded. "But only if you clarify something for me."

"Oh?"

Truth be told, she had been meaning to ask him this yesterday, but after their conversation it seemingly slipped her mind.

"I've always been under the impression that you've been holding back your strength," Edelgard began, glancing over at him as they walked. "Why is that?"

"There just hasn't been a need for me to fight like when I was a mercenary," Byleth answered. "Besides, I'm your teacher. I wouldn't be doing my job if I did all the work."

"Ah."

That part was as she expected, at least.

"Then may I ask, what changed yesterday?"

Byleth clicked his tongue.

"I suppose I wasn't very subtle about it, was I?"

"Not particularly."

Byleth inched closer to Edelgard, tilting his head towards hers.

"I take it this conversation is also confidential, yes?"

"Of course."

He shot a glance at the class behind them before continuing.

"Truthfully, I spent the entire month trying to predict how this fight might go. Adjusting our battle strategy, planning escape routes, preparing for enemy reinforcements, even going so far as to try and predict how you all might handle our inevitable victory or unlikely defeat."

Edelgard didn't speak, allowing her teacher to finish.

"This might seem a tad uncouth of me, but I've been watching and studying the class very closely. Everything from their strengths in battle to their dislikes of certain foods."

A sudden cake incident flashed in her mind.

"So, when I plotted out how the Eagle house might react to quieting a rebellion compared to putting down some bandits, I took it upon myself to do most of the heavy lifting."

"You wanted to ease our burdens," Edelgard stated.

"Precisely." He nodded. "I've already come to terms with the blood on my hands. When I weighed my own discomfort to that of someone like, say, Bernadetta or Linhardt, I found it a small price to pay."

"While that is admirable, they'll have to face days like this one eventually, Professor. We all will. You cannot be there to watch over us forever."

"True," he agreed. "But, while I'm your teacher, I will bloody my hands as often as it takes if it means I can give you all peace of mind one day sooner."

Edelgard's eyes widened. Never in her life had she met a man whose actions were so selfless.

Well, there was one, but that was in a different life.

"I only have one more question, then."

"Shoot."

"You said you've been evaluating us for a while now, correct?"

"That's right."

"Then would you mind telling me what you came up with?" Edelgard asked. "As their house leader, I feel it my obligation to ask. Perhaps you've gleamed something about them that I myself have missed."

Byleth hummed to himself, pinching his chin as he often did whenever he thought over something.

"I don't see the harm in that," he replied.

Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a small, leather bound notebook, its cover crinkled with use.

Licking his finger, he opened it and flipped through about a dozen pages before stopping.

Clearing his throat, he began.

"Edelgard, I think Lonato's uprising bothered you more than you'd care to admit. You just won't let yourself be distracted by it, otherwise you'd lose sight of your resolve."

Edelgard's brow raised. That had struck closer to home than she expected.

"Caspar will probably wake up a week from now, the events of today probably already in the back of his mind. It'll trouble him, sure, but he'll be able to move past this," he continued, totally oblivious to her surprise. "Petra will too. She'll tell herself this is what had to be done and see it as a chance to grow into her eventual position as the leader of Brigid. Ferdinand will lie awake for the next few nights, struggling with the decisions these nobles made, and vow to himself never to subject his own people to such strife. Bernadetta, Dorothea, and Linhardt will go to sleep a month from now, thinking of the lives they took today. Hubert…"

Byleth sighed, scratching his head.

"Honestly, I don't know a thing about Hubert."

"That's quite alright, most people don't." Edelgard stifled a giggle before composing herself. "I must say, those are quite astute observations you've made."

"Does it line up with your opinions of them?" He asked her. "You have known them longer, after all."

"Yes, I believe so." Edelgard frowned, guilt beginning to etch its way into her features. "Although, I never would have thought to go to the lengths you did to ease their burdens. I merely saw this as an experience to help them grow stronger."

"There's nothing wrong with that." Byleth shook his head. "Like you said, this will hardly be the last time we deal with something like this. All I did was simply try and postpone the inevitable."

In spite of his sudden ability to get under her skin, she found this particular side of Byleth rather… inspiring. The way he cared for those he led, putting their own feelings before his own; were her own circumstances different, it was how she wished to act as a leader.

And he was right. This wouldn't be the last time something like this happened. As long as Fódlan continued to idolize Crests and the so-called "holy bloodlines" they came from, days like this won't be uncommon. But she couldn't hold it against him for trying to shield them from the injustices of this world, despite her own reservations about it.

"It's a cruel world we live in," Edelgard whispered, her fists clenching at her sides. Memories of a different life flooded her mind. Memories of what bearing a Crest truly meant. Memories she so desperately wanted to forget but would never allow herself to.

"Indeed. Maybe one day someone will come along and change it for the better."

One day, I will. I WILL reshape this world.

"Professor."

"Hm?"

Byleth glanced over at her, looking confused by the sudden change in her tone.

"If one day someone does come along to change this world, would you stand beside them? Even if it meant suffering through more hardships like yesterday?"

His expression didn't change, but she thought- hoped, she saw his eyes soften as he looked at her.

"I don't know. But, if that someone was anything like you, I might be convinced."

Edelgard smiled, content with that answer.

Their march continued in relative silence as their conversation came to a close, only occasionally being interrupted by idle discussion when some of her other classmates joined them.

As they walked, she began to notice that each step she took slowly felt easier and easier. Maybe the conversation with the professor had simply lightened her mood, or perhaps it was because the weight that had so long pushed down on her suddenly felt a little bit lighter.


And there you have it! Thanks for reading everyone!

It truly is a challenge to write Edelgard's fierce, ambitious nature mixed with the bits and pieces of a regular, young woman that we get glances of in the supports and dialogues. One moment she'll be talking about crushing the opposition at the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, and the next she'll be reminiscing about her parents' love story in the Tower. I suppose that's why I find her so interesting, eh?

So, bear with me a little bit as I find that perfect balance.

Also, don't expect these last two chapters to be the general flow of how this story will play out. While I do plan on tackling most of the difficult decisions made in this game, as well as a few ideas I have of my own, I also plan on adding some chapters like the first one. Hopefully I can achieve a nice balance of her route's serious, gray nature while also adding some fluff to take the edge off.

Anyhow, thank you all for the overwhelming support so far! I've gotten a kick out of reading all of your reviews and watching as the Follows number continues to climb. I guess we were all in desperate need of more Byleth and Edelgard screen time.

See you next time!